Undercover Prodigy
by Thomas River
Summary: What if a team of Hunter-nin found Haku instead of Zabuza? Will Haku learn to conceal his kekkei genkai in order to become a tool for the Village Hidden in the Mist?


Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter One: Two are better than one.**

Villagers littered the ground, their blood pooling at Yuki Haku's small feet. He cried in silence, tears hidden by the rain. So much death.

How could this happen?

Now he know why Mom was so scared. His own Father tried to kill him, all because of his ability...his curse.

By now the ice speared through the villagers had melted. Never had he made ice before, but in his fear it reacted...violently. And now he had nothing. His entire world collapsed. In just a day he became a pariah, an orphan, a murderer.

His life was meaningless. On the ground he noticed one of the villagers pitchforks. Why didn't he just let them kill him? The pain of being alone was just too great. Should he just end it?

Glancing at the bodies again, he winced. Such a waste of life, and all over his mistake. No longer was he wanted, no longer was he needed. Mom told him to hide his curse, Dad told him to die. Both their final requests he failed...but he could still fulfill one. Grasping the pitchfork, he prepared himself for death.

But something stopped him.

A large, gloved hand prevented him from stabbing himself. Looking up, Haku saw an eerie mask, with slitted eye-holes and the Kirigakure symbol etched on the forehead. The man before him wore a tan chest plate with a sword strapped on the back.

"Stop! I need to do this. There's nothing left for me." Haku cried, and it was true. There wasn't anyone, or anything he had left to live for. "They're all dead...My life is meaningless without them...I have no purpose..."

Three shinobi were standing beside Haku, looking at the the one holding him. With a nod of his head, the other shinobi left. Only the sound of rain could be heard. Haku glared at the man while attempting to wrestle his arm free.

"What happened here?" The shinobi's voice was deep and soft; soothing.

"It doesn't matter!" The young boy's voice was colored with sorrow. "They're dead. Everyone's dead!"

Slowly, the hunter-nin kneeled beside him. Haku could barely see the man's eyes through the mask.

"You're right, it doesn't matter. They're dead, but you're not. Maybe your life doesn't have meaning now, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. Find a new purpose."

Haku's eyes widened. Could it really be that simple

"Wh-what sh-should it be?" He stuttered.

For awhile, the tall ninja seemed to consider the question. "You could come to Kirigakure. You could learn to be a ninja. You could start a _new_ life."

Even though he had never seen the village hidden in the mist, the hunter-nin's words inspired the small boy. A new dream was born, a new purpose.

"I will. I will serve Kiri." He would obey his mom's last request, and hide his curse, using it in only secret to make him a sharper weapon for the village hidden in the mist. It all seemed to fit together. If one looked closely, they would see the corners of Haku's lips curled up ever-so-slightly.

"If I were to take you to Kirigakure, I would have to bind you. Then, when we got there, you would have to plead your case to the Mizukage...and tell him what you saw."

Wincing at the last part, Haku quickly decided he would lie to the Mizukage. With any luck, the man wouldn't see through it. But, if he did, at least he could still fulfill his father's last request.

"Alright." A renewed hope lit in his eyes.

Rat, Dog, Ox; the shinobi made quick hand signs before ensnaring the small boy in a water whip and pulling him onto his back. It took all Haku's self control not to laugh. With his curse, he didn't think he would have much trouble escaping.

When the pair returned to the other shinobi, none of the ninja sparred him a second glance.

"We lost him," the only female said.

"Hn," the leader replied. "We report to the Yondaime."

"Hai." they chorused.

Kirigakure was an hour away from the small farming village. Even longer if you weren't on the back of a Ninja running _on _the water. By the time they reached a massive cloud of mist on the main island, it was late afternoon. Traveling through the mist was an interesting experience. It was unnaturally thick. As if it had a mind of it's own, the mist parted around the entering shinobi, forming an odd sort of bubble. When it finally cleared, Haku was amazed.

Before him stood hundreds of tan, circular towers with red roofs. Pools of water were around every corner, and the sound civilians could be heard loudly. As the shinobi jumped from tower to tower, heading toward a taller building in the heart of the village, Haku was amazed by the sheer size of it. When they entered the central tower, the world turned white. A few seconds later the path in front of them cleared.

"Why is there mist _inside_ the tower?"

"It's one of the many defense mechanisms, the hidden mist jutsu. The Mizukage's chalkra is in the mist, and allows him to sense where anyone is in the tower. Our current Mizukage has an unnaturally large amount of chalkra. In fact, he has so much chalkra, maintaining this jutsu barely takes anything out of him. Most _Jonin_ would have a hard time even using such a large-scale jutsu, let alone maintaining it. Using the mist inside is fairly new. The Mizukage has only started using it after the rogue ninja Zabuza attempted to assassinate him. You'll learn all about it in the academy."

After navigating through a maze of hallways, the group ended at an ordinary door. Upon opening it, however, Haku found himself in an anything-but-ordinary room. It was a long, dark room with water on the floor. Eight desks facing inward were lined up on Haku's left and right, with secretaries writing furiously, none of them spared the new entries a second glance. The ninja carrying Haku walked forward, past the secretaries, before stopping in front of a massive desk. As they walked forward, Haku noticed that the ninja carrying him was splashing in the liquid instead of treading on top of it.

Behind the final desk there was a kid wearing a large white and blue hat with the kanji symbol for water on the front. The kid had white hair, bright pink eyes, and a scar running down his left cheek from the bottom of his eye. Suddenly, Haku found him self on the wet floor. All four Ninja bowed before him.

"Lord Mizukage" They said in unison.

"And who is this?" The child responded in a boyish voice only slightly lower than Haku's.

"We lost Zabuza's trail at a small farming village. All the villagers except this child were brutally murdered. We found her about to commit suicide."

"I see. Goro!" The pink-eyed boy yelled. One of the secretaries jumped up. "Take this child into a holding room."

"Hai Mizukage-sama" Haku was roughly grabbed by the ugly, heavyset secretary and pushed through a side door. Within a second of entering, the secretary left. In front of Haku stood a plain, white table, with plain, white chairs, in a plain, white room. Taking a seat, he waited while the tracker-nin reported. He was still surprised that a kid, who couldn't be too much older than himself, was the great Yondaime Mizukage.

The wait went on and on. When a couple of hours passed, he decided the Yondaime must have forgotten him. That or this was just a test. Maybe the Mizukage was waiting to see how badly Haku wanted to serve the village, how badly he wanted to be a ninja. Of course, that's it! This was just to see if Haku was truly dedicated. Not a moment after thinking that, the door reopened and Haku was ushered out to the Yondaime.

"Lord Mizukage." Haku said before bowing low.

It looked as if the pink-eyed boy was about to respond before his head snapped to the side and he his hands quickly went through seals.

"Ninja art: water clone jutsu." The liquid on the floor began to pool up in front of one of the side doors before taking the shape of the Yondaime. Once formed, the new Mizukage's hand flashed through hand seals so quickly Haku could't make them out. Suddenly, the door burst open and a ninja holding a massive, scaled sword flew through...only to be captured in a ball of water.

"Water prison jutsu."

After a moment, the Yondaime seemed to relax, and slumped into his chair. When he released his jutsu the large man fell and the water surged back to the floor. Haku was floored by how quickly he had seen jutsu used.

"Kisame," the Mizukage sighed, "Your 'tests' are really getting old."

The massive, shark-like man just laughed and picked himself up. "What do we have here, Yagura? Are you having a play date?" He teased.

Ignoring him, the Mizukage turned to Haku. "What is your name, girl?"

Two pairs of eyes looked intently at Haku. The small boy bit back his nervousness and anger. "Haku...My name is Yasai Haku." He thanked Kami for having his fathers last name. "...and I am a _boy."_

A large smile spread across Kisame's face, revealing his pointed teeth, "Are you sure?"

"Did you see who slaughtered your village?"

Kisame's smile faded.

"No." Haku lied.

"Why are you here?"

Haku had no doubts the Mizukage knew exactly why he was there, but he answered anyway. "I have nothing left. My life was destroyed. So, I want to create a new life, with a new purpose. I would like to become a ninja, and dedicate my life to protecting Kirigakure."

"Goro! Please show Yasai Haku to an open apartment. Give him an orphan's stipend and fill out the necessary citizenship paperwork. Also, enroll him in the Academy. You start tomorrow, Haku. If you fail, I will kick you out of my city. Now get out of my sight."

"Hai, Mizukage-sama." Goro and Haku said and scrambled out of sight.

As soon as they stepped outside the office, Goro's beady eyes burned into him. "Follow me," the fat man spat.

Kirigakure was beautiful at night. Lanterns hung from ropes were strung from tower to tower, lighting up the town. Laughter and happiness could be heard everywhere. A faint smell of rain and moss hung in the air. Goro lead Haku to the edge of the city, where the towers were lower and the businesses fewer. They stopped at a single story circular building next to a run-down ramen "shop."

"Be at room 4 by 8am sharp tomorrow." Shoving a key in Haku's hand, Goro left.

He didn't even know where the Academy was! He didn't even know where _he_ was! How was he supposed to show up on time if he didn't know how to get there? Deciding he needed answers, he braced himself and walked into the Ramen shack.

Once inside, he was surprised to find the place spotless. A man so old he looked as if he might just crumple to dust stood behind the counter.

"That Goro can be something else, eh?" The old man said while setting a bowl of miso ramen in front of him.

"I don't have any money sir."

"Then I won't charge you in money. I'll trade you one bowl of ramen for one story."

"One story?"

"You can start with how a young boy like you ended up in this dreary corner of Kiri."

"You can tell I'm a boy!" Haku said, impressed. Instead of responding, the old man simply smiled and took a seat next him with his own bowl of ramen. He seemed to be waiting for Haku to start.

Even though the man looked harmless, Haku knew he couldn't tell him his dreadful tale. Instead, he decided to give a summary.

"Today...I became an orphan. Some shinobi stopped me before I could...They took me to the Mizukage. I waited. He gave me that apartment," he nodded to the small building next door. Tomorrow, I will start learning the academy. If I don't graduate, I'll be kicked out. Goro didn't tell me where the Academy was...so I was hoping the owner of this shack-er-shop could help me."

The tale was short, but the old man seemed to be content with it. He didn't ask for Haku to expand on anything, he just sat there comfortingly.

"You can cry if you'd like...I won't judge you."

Haku hadn't realized how much he had been holding back his emotion. This man was incredibly perceptive. So much had happened that day. All of a sudden everything hit him. All he had were the clothes on his back. He was an orphan. He was alone. He was...scared. It was as if a floodgate suddenly broke. Tears poured over his cheeks uncontrollably, and he sobbed. Leaning over he hugged the old man, who held him comfortingly.

It was long past midnight before Haku finally put himself back together.

"I'm sorr-"

"You don't have to apologize, my boy."

"But, but I don't even know your name. You don't even know _my_ name."

The old man's smile was filled with warmth and love. "You can just call me Ojiisan." Ojiisan, it was nice. It made him feel like he still had family.

"I'm Haku."

"Well it's nice to meet you, Haku." Ojiisan said as if Haku hadn't been crying in his arms for hours. "Now, lets take a look at your apartment." After closing the shop, the pair walked next door.

The apartment was small. On the left there was a kitchen, on the right a bed. No tables, no dressers, and only one chair. Haku threw himself onto the hard mattress and fell asleep, thankful for some relief.

-oOoOo-

Haku woke to someone's gentle nudging. At first he couldn't remember where he was.

"You need to get up, Haku. We'll get some food in you and then I'll show you to the Academy." The voice was soft, familiar.

Ojiisan.

Oh, yeah. Kiri. Everything came rushing back to him. Slowly, Haku got out of bed and let Ojiisan guide him next door. Ramen for breakfast? Whatever. Kirigakure was much quieter in the morning. As they walked to the Academy, Haku noticed many of the paths curved back and forth around buildings, and so it was easy to get lost. Thank Kami for Ojiisan.

Finally they arrived at the Academy. When Haku turned to thank Ojiisan, he was nowhere in sight. Shrugging his shoulders, Haku made his way inside. Unlike most buildings, the academy was wider than it was tall. Unfortunately, by the time Haku found room 4, he was the last one to show up.

A stumpy, plump woman stood at the front of the classroom. She had short, brown hair held back by a Kiri forehead protecter. When she spotted him, she rushed over.

"Class, today we will be welcoming a new student!" She was _way_ too excited. "I hope you will all be kind her. Everyone meet," she looked down at her roster, " Yasai Haku!" Her gaze turned to him, "You may call me Masa-sensei. Now, quickly, find a seat."

Haku listened to the rows of children whispering.

"...she's beautiful..."

"...never seen her before..."

"...Yasai?"

"...I don't like her..."

"...steal _all_ the boys..."

"...she'll never make it..."

He walked to the back of the classroom, and sat next to a boy with blue hair and a broad chest. Neither of them said anything.

"Alright class, today we will be discussing the First Great Ninja War. Because Hidden Mist didn't participate, we opened our doors for refugees. People from the four great nations were desperate to get out of the war zone. Our sudden increase in population was the final requirement to have an official Kage. Luckily, for us, none of the other great nations were willing to waste shinobi to take our lands or their people back..."

Everyone pulled out a blank scroll and took meticulous notes. Haku cringed. He didn't have any thing to take notes with! How could he be so stupid? What was he doing here, he had no idea what he was doing.

The blue haired boy next to him seemed to notice his distress and pulled out an extra scroll and brush.

"Here," he whispered. "Use this."

Turning toward him, Haku smiled. "Thanks," he whispered back.

The larger boy blushed furiously. "No problem...you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

...awkward...

"The teacher lied...I'm a boy,"

If it was possible, the blue haired boy reddened even more. "Oh...sorry...but...you're still beautiful."

Now it was Haku's turn to blush. "I'm Haku," he introduced himself, "and you are?"

"Oh, I'm Taro of the Kota clan." He smiled brilliantly revealing sharp pointed teeth. The smaller boy gasped in surprise.

"Your teeth!" He remembered the man from the Mizukage's office, "what does it mean?"

Taro laughed. "You're really not from around here, are you? Every descendant of the original Seven Swordsmen has teeth like this..." He put a massive hand behind his head in embarrassment, "its kind of weird..."

"I don't know, I like them. It makes you look...exotic..."

Once again, Taro blushed.

"But what are the Seven Swordsmen?" Haku continued.

"You don't know!" Taro yelled. Everyone in the class turned to glare at them.

This time, they both blushed.

"Do you have something to share with the class, Taro?"

"Uhh, not really, I was just surprised. Haku has never heard of the Seven Swordsmen."

"Oh, great transition Haku! It was about at this time in the First Great Ninja War that the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist came into being. There were a few legends of powerful swords from some of the more remote islands. Our soon-to-be first Mizukage tracked them down. Next, he hired a couple of our top blacksmiths create some custom weapons and founded the legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist..."

When class let out, Haku apologized to Taro: "Sorry to get you in trouble with Masa-sensei..."

"Its fine. But, its not just her I'm in trouble with. Every guy in this class is gong to be jealous that I'm talking to you. I'm not the only one that finds you...attractive."

Haku smiled, but didn't respond. All the compliments were overwhelming. Instead, he decided to change the topic. "So...which swordsman are you a descendant of." That question earned him a smile from Taro.

"Nobody knows the identities of the first swordsmen, so they are just labeled by their swords. My ancestor was the user of the Executioner's Blade! It's massive, and only really strong swordsmen can use it easily. Plus, the blade can regenerate from the iron in blood, so as long as it is used it will never chip or dull. We don't have it anymore, though. It was stolen by the rogue ninja Zabuza Momochi. One day, I'm going to track him down and steal the blade back. That way the blade stays with the village, and I become one of the Seven Swordsmen myself."

There was a spark of determination in Taro's eyes. This boy was serious at serving the mist, Haku realized. They were both weapons for the village. If this boy wanted to become a powerful ninja for Kirigakure, then Haku would help him achieve his dream.

"We need to graduate as fast as possible then, so I can help you take out

Zabuza. Two are better than one, after all"

Taro looked at him with wide eyes. "No one has ever taken me seriously like that before." A massive grin covered his face. "Do you want to come over? I can show you the Kota Compound."

"Really?"

"Of course, I've got to make sure my future wife gets used to her future home."

"I'm a _boy!"_

_-_oOoOo-

The Kota Compound was much larger than Haku expected. It was one of the few square buildings in Kiri, albeit it was surrounded by a large circular wall. Upon arrival, Taro started by showing Haku their families dojo. Taro received his katana earlier than most members of his clan, due to his alarmingly quick growth rate. Ever since he apparently had been practicing kenjutsu. He even told Haku about the weights he had slowly been adding to his sword, to better prepare him for his dream weapon: the Executioner's Blade. At the mention of training, Taro invited him him to come over and practice Taijutsu. When Haku blushed and told him he had never been taught before, took it upon himself to teach Haku the basics.

Also, at the dojo, Taro learned that the Koto were one of the last clans to train in kenjutsu, as it went out of popularity with the loss of most of the Hidden Mist's famous swords. Only two swords remained in Kiri: the Samehada, or sharkskin, which was owned by the Mizukage's right hand, and the Twin Sword owned by the Hirame clan.

As Haku toured the compound, Taro introduced him has his "future wife" to every clan member they came across. Most thought it was cute, and teased them about how "adorable" their children would be. Comments like that had Haku struggling to maintain his polite demeanor. From the mischievous glint in Taro's eyes, he suspected the larger boy was attempting to get rise out of him. He wouldn't get it. Haku simply straightened his, admittedly feminine, kimono and politely endured the loving torture. Fortunately, Taro's parents were away with "Clan head business." If the couple were anything like their son, Haku would drown in the odd mixture of compliments and teasing that Taro plagued him with.

When Taro asked to walk Haku home, he panicked. How could he show his friend his pathetic apartment after seeing this? After stammering off a pathetic "maybe next time," Haku retraced his steps back home. Determined, he spent the rest of the day cleaning and fixing up his apartment to the best of his ability. The orphan's stipend he found laying in front of his door helped a lot. A couple of times he consented Ojiisan for advice, but the man only redirected him to different stores around the town. After awhile, Haku decided it was the old man's tricky way of teaching him the layout of the town.

-oOoOo-

That night, when he set his head to rest, Haku realized how crazy his life had become. He was in a new village, starting a new life, with no parents to guide him. At first the thought scared him, made him lose heart. Then he remembered the hunter-nin, Ojiisan, and Taro. There was no doubt he would make it, because he had a purpose. Not only did he have precious people to protect, but an entire village. He would serve Kiri, he would become a ninja, he would choose life.

**Author's Note (Important)**

**Undercover Prodigy (This story) is one of two stories I am posting. I will ONLY CONTINUE ONE. To determine if I will continue this story, or my other (Repercussions), I will count up the number of reviews/follows/alerts and only continue the one that gets more. Both stories have been roughly outlined, and the first chapters to each story are already completed and will be posted.**

**So, if you want this story to continue. Review and say so! Also, please tell me what I did poorly and what I did well. I would like to improve, and you can help.**

**This story is AU. Currently, there are no pairings. If you would like there to be a pairing, I will have a poll further on in the story for that. Haku will not be grossly over powered in this fic, and if I don't complete it I will post my outline.**


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